Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Roberta Einer Spring 2016

Every once and a while a designer or collection comes along which challenges the social norm through which we perceive fashion. Roberta Einer is one of those rare gems who creates three-dimensional pieces of art which put the flat and lifeless t-shirts observed in every mall and seen on every conformist to shame. Why should fashion remain so flat and lifeless? More importantly, why do we continue to obsess over minimalism and how are some people bestowed with the ability to discern between one white t-shirt and another?
Criticisms aside, I am in awe of Einer. This emerging designer has
created clothing with a real raw energy about it. Ask me time and time
again, which collections have the greatest impact on me and I am
guaranteed to reply a graduate collection. There's a true sense that the
designer, no matter what their circumstances has nothing to lose in
terms of reputation and credibility within the industry. While this is not a graduate collection, it is experimental and free-flowing. As a result,
there's this brilliant sense of liberation in Roberta Einer's work, and her
Sping 2016 collection is as good as it gets.

For
Spring 2016 Roberta Einer turned the American trope of a cheerleader
and turned it on its head. Not in a creepy Twin Peaks way, but with more
intense colour and bomber jackets made of tweed and decorated with
hand-stitched silk patches. Again, if ever there were a collection to
turn me off nasty, cheap mass-produced clothing, this would be it.
There's an incredible amount of detail and the moodboards and imagery
which inspired Spring 2016 are simply breath-taking. There's every
chance I swooned over the closeups of the swatches and having a glimpse
into the techniques incorporated in the creation of those spectacular
bomber jackets. While they were somewhat masculine, the slip dress is
undoubtedly one of the other important components of this collection.
With hindsight we know one of Einer's strengths is a sensationally over
the top slip dress, but it's always interesting to observe how certain
pieces evolve over time with a designer.

It's
always difficult to choose what piece I would love to own from such a
strong collection. Although I don't really love wearing off the shoulder
tops, there's an amazing piece out of Spring 2016 featuring stitched
circles and the word 'Lucky' in hot pink and diamantes. To most, that
would seem childish and downright weird to wear but as a general rule of
thumb I try and buy pieces that I can't get anywhere else. It's
unlikely there'll be another piece quite like it and I haven't stumbled
across it on eBay yet (not for lack of trying, I can tell you). I also happen to have a soft spot for statement jackets, with a few silk bombers already gracing my closet. Don't get me wrong, I love that they're lightweight and easy to wear, but I also yearn for the weight and feel of a solid jacket on my shoulders. There's some sense of security wearing a piece which is both beautifully made, but also a protective barrier from the drudgery of the outside world.